1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to foreign language instruction, and more particularly to systems and methods for teaching foreign language by using immersion techniques.
2. Related Art
An increasingly important aspect of a person's education is the learning of foreign languages. Various methodologies exist for teaching foreign languages. Common classroom techniques include the memorization of vocabulary words and grammatical rules, and the translation of common phrases from the learner's native language to the foreign language and vice versa. For example, a student may be provided with a series of words or phrases in the foreign language and be required to memorize those words and phrases, and their equivalents in the student's native language. Moreover, a student may be presented with a variety of grammatical rules and be tested on the application of those rules in various contexts.
Although a foreign language may be learned in this way, it is often very difficult and time-consuming, and requires significant commitment on behalf of the student. Even if a student learns a foreign language in this way, he or she may have a limited grasp of the language, and may have difficultly communicating with native speakers of the language in common situations.
Immersion techniques have been developed to improve the teaching and learning of foreign languages. Simply stated, immersion techniques involve “immersing” students in the foreign language, thereby attempting to replicate the process by which students learned their native language, but in a systematic way. Thus, students learn a language by listening to speakers of the language associate words with objects, concepts and actions. Immersion techniques recognize that most people learned their native language by observing those speaking the language, and that the learning of grammatical rules and the like came much later than fluency in the language. Thus, in language immersion techniques, memorization and the learning of grammatical rules are typically de-emphasized.
In most language immersion techniques, the student's native language is essentially removed from the equation. The speaker does not learn, for example, that “der Hund” in German means “the dog” in English. Rather, the student hears that “der Hund” is associated with a particular animal and learns the connection between that word and the object with which it is associated. This is considered to be a far more natural way to learn a language and it is believed to be more effective than traditional classroom techniques.
Computer software programs have been developed which employ, at least to some extent, language immersion techniques. These programs can be utilized with conventional personal computers having both a visual display (such as a computer screen) and an audio component (such as a speaker). These programs conventionally employ some degree of multi-media presentation, with at least some interactivity with the user. For example, such programs may provide a still picture or video component in which an object is displayed or video footage of a certain event is presented on the computer screen. In conjunction with the visual display, the foreign language may be audibly presented. For example, when a picture of a dog is presented on the screen, the audio component of a German language instruction program may present the user with a recorded native speaker saying “der Hund.” In addition, the “script” of the recorded audio message may be presented on the screen. Thus, in a text box on the computer screen, the words “der Hund” may be presented.
Conventionally in such systems, only a single a foreign word is presented for each concept or idea. Thus, for example, German synonyms of the word “der Hund” would not be presented. Additionally, when a more complicated situation is presented, that situation is described from only a single perspective. For example, a video component may be presented of an individual asking for directions to the airport, and another individual responding with the appropriate directions. This interaction will be described from a single perspective, either from the perspective of the first or second individual, or from the perspective of a third party narrator describing the interaction. Additionally, the program may simply present the actual dialogue of the two individuals, similar to the script from a play. However, such programs do not present foreign language descriptions of the event from more than one perspective.
Also, in many such programs, a translation of the foreign word(s) to the student's native language are often presented on the screen. Thus, the English words “the dog” may be provided in another text box on the computer screen when the German words “der Hund” are presented.
Many language instruction programs provide some interactivity with the user to assist the user in learning the foreign language. One common technique is providing certain questions about the object or event depicted and the corresponding foreign language description. Thus, a video component may be presented showing an interaction involving asking for directions to the airport. A question may be presented to the user to assess the user's understanding of the foreign language—for example, “Is the airport on the left or right?” The user may be rewarded with points for correctly answering the question.
While the above-described programs may provide a student with some of the benefits of language immersion, because the native language translation is readily available, and any foreign language descriptions of the object or event are not depicted from additional perspectives, many students use the native language translation as a “crutch” and fail to get the full benefits of the immersion technique.
Thus, a need exists for an immersion-based language instruction system and method in which an event or object is described from a variety of perspectives in order to facilitate the comprehension of a foreign language.